


cats & crows (but with fighting)

by kousanoes



Series: sportsfest fills 2020 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24828457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kousanoes/pseuds/kousanoes
Summary: After the other Karasuno generals go missing, it's up to Tanaka Saeko to end the feud between them and Nekoma.
Relationships: Haiba Alisa & Tanaka Saeko, Haiba Alisa/Tanaka Saeko
Series: sportsfest fills 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795918
Kudos: 3
Collections: SportsFest 2020





	cats & crows (but with fighting)

**Author's Note:**

> original prompt/thread [here](https://sportsfest.dreamwidth.org/27747.html?thread=3095395#cmt3095395)

“Saeko,” Ryuunosuke says, from the doorway. She finishes buckling her chest protector before turning. He’s got a grim look on his face, arms crossed over his chest. “I still don’t think this is a good idea, meeting them, after everything. They’re still angry. Aren’t you angry? The other generals—and the Ukais—are gone. We’ve got evidence that Nekoma took ‘em. They want to crush us.” 

“And you just want to let them?” The tension she's been carrying bleeds into her voice, and he winces. She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but what’s done is done. 

“No.” He sends her a sharp look, and continues, “You _know_ that isn’t what I was saying. We can take ‘em, that’s for sure—”

Saeko raises an eyebrow. “Even after they relentlessly destroyed you during each of those practice drills?” 

“Hey, we’ve improved a lot since then!” he protests, and that puts a smile on her face. 

“I know. I’ve seen you guys practicing; you’re good.” She shakes her head and crosses the room. “Don’t worry about it, I have it handled.” 

He narrows his eyes. “Are you sure about that? Your relationship with Haiba is…” He trails off, and she grimaces.

He’s not wrong. She dated Alisa for a while before the Nekoma-Karasuno feud began (and once, briefly, during it), but they didn't part on very good terms the last time they met. It was an inter-kingdom meeting that started out pleasantly, but quickly turned into an argument about history and tradition. Saeko let her anger get the better of her and said things that were out of line. She still hadn't gotten the chance to apologize. 

Today, she must try to convince Alisa to reign in the other Nekoma members so they can cease the feud between their factions. It’s a relatively new development, this conflict; the previous leaders Ukai and Nekomata were on good terms, until few years ago. Saeko still doesn't know the full history, but whatever it was, it left lasting impressions on both Karasuno and Nekoma. 

But now that all the other upper echelon Karasuno members are missing, it’s her responsibility to bring them back and ensure Karasuno’s continued success. Conveniently, Nekomata and his successor are also missing—they blame Karasuno, for whatever ridiculous reason—which leaves Haiba Alisa in charge. 

Well. At the very least, she’s agreed to meet. 

“I’ll be fine,” Saeko tells him. “You join up with the rest of my bodyguards and just make sure I don’t get assassinated.” 

He scowls but moves aside to let her pass. “Stop calling them that.” 

* * *

Saeko and Alisa—well, the two of them surrounded by forty or so guards—meet between two tall residential buildings at dusk. The residential buildings are meant to serve as a reminder to keep the meeting peaceful. The setting sun casts a soft glow across Alisa’s face, and Saeko swoons a little inside. Alisa tucks some hair behind her ear and smiles. 

Like Saeko, Alisa is dressed in armour. Unlike her, all the armour are Nekoma shades of red. Saeko is dressed in black. The idea is that she'll be harder to find, should things go south. 

Alisa is an incredible magician—Saeko's seen her cast wonders—so she holds a long staff in her hands. That’s fine. It’s expected she come armed; Saeko is, too. She's no magician, but she's got two swords sheathed across her back and twenty men as backup. 

“Tanaka Saeko,” Alisa says, offering a shallow bow. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” She pauses, licks her lips, and says, “It’s good to see you’re doing well. Listen, about last time—”

“Let’s talk about that a different time, OK?” Alisa interrupts. Her voice is light, but it’s clear it’s not a question. “Once it’s over, once we’ve both gotten our people back, we can—get back to that. Talk about it.” 

Saeko opens her mouth to argue, then promptly shuts it as Alisa's words sink in. “You want to end this as well, then. You don’t believe Karasuno took Nekomata.” 

She lets out a little laugh. “You could say that, yes.” There’s a twinkle in her eye, and Saeko laughs, relieved. “Why don't we get started?” 

* * *

They're just about to shake on the deal when Alisa yelps. Her hand wraps itself around Saeko's wrist, and Alisa tugs Saeko towards her. Shocked, Saeko goes without resistance, and Alisa falls back under her unexpected weight. 

Saeko's hand is just barely quick enough to cup the back of Alisa's head to soften the blow as they land on the ground. Quickly, she rolls off and looks up to survey their surroundings. She sees the people accompanying the two of them fighting. There’s an arrow embedded in the ground where she once stood—one of Karasuno’s arrows, in fact. There was no order to shoot. 

It doesn’t take long to understand what’s going on: a third party must have snuck into the two factions, meaning to cause dissent and chaos. It’s a smart move, if cowardly; Nekoma and Karasuno are particularly strong at the moment, with easily manipulated relations, so turning them against each other could provide opportunity for many of the smaller factions. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suspect the incident those years ago—whatever it was—was the result of some third-party meddling, as well. The thought _did Nekoma_ really _take the Karasuno generals?_ briefly crosses Saeko's mind before she refocuses. 

She pushes herself to her feet and unsheathes her swords in one swift motion. Glancing at Alisa, who hurriedly stands as well, she asks, “Are you OK?” 

Alisa opens her mouth to answer, but is interrupted by someone running at her. She doesn't have enough time to cast a spell, but no matter; she whacks them in the stomach. “What a good moment to put our new agreement to the test, yeah?” 

A grin stretches across Saeko's face. Oh, indeed. 


End file.
